This invention relates to a printer used with (Electronic Cash Register) ECR, (Automatic Teller Machine) ATMs and the like, and in particular, an opening mechanism for opening the printing portion thereof during a paper jam, an ink ribbon exchange or the setting and removing of the recording media.
Prior art printers include fixed components which allow for a space of only about 0.6 mm between the print head and the platen. In such printers, it is quite difficult to remove jammed paper. Such a drawback often results in the requirement of a service call to repair a simple paper jam.
An apparatus for allowing a printer to be opened and closed at a portion of the printer between the print head and the platen has also been developed in the prior art. Once such apparatus requires the removing of the entire print mechanism to cure such paper jams or to access the print area. However, it is difficult to remove or reset the unit once it has been removed. Additionally, an improper removal operation easily leads to damage of the system. Lastly, it is required that when rolled paper is the print media, that the rolled paper be re-inserted at each reset of the machine, a complicated troublesome process.
A second mechanism known in the prior art allows for the rotation or movement of the entire unit. However, such a rotation structure is quite complicated. Additionally, the operation requires rotation or movement and resetting of the printer which are also quite troublesome. Additionally, as the system is rotated away from and returned to the print position over time, the gap between the print head and platen varies worsening print quality.
Accordingly, the prior art printers have suffered from serious operating and print quality problems. The maintenance work such as removing jammed paper, an incidence which occurs quite easily in the prior art printers used in ECR or the like, is quite time consuming. Additionally, the operation of such mechanisms is usually so complex or difficult that an operator cannot remedy the situation himself requiring a service call. Even when the operator is able to remove a paper jam, such an operation is quite time consuming.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a simple printer structure which includes a mechanism for allowing easy access to paper jams and the ink ribbon.